Velib was launched in July 2007 and now claims to have more than 20,000 of its chunky gray bikes available from 1,800 docking stations around Paris.

The service, which offers half an hour of free riding followed by incremental charges, was reportedly used to make 130 million trips in its first five years.

Although Velib followed numerous earlier bike-sharing and rental plans, it grew to become one of the world's most successful.

The model of using corporate sponsorship and computerized docking stations has been imitated by other cities such as London.

The new children's bikes -- designed with the same gray stylings as their adult counterparts -- are available to rent in the Bois de Boulogne near the Porte La Muette and the Rond-Point du Jardin d'Acclimitation, the Ourcq Canal, the Bois de Vincennes and the banks of the Seine, between the Pont des Invalides and the Pont De l'Alma.